Cigars and pipes are making a comeback among Generation Z, anti-smoking campaigners have warned.
New research suggests young people are increasingly opting to smoke tobacco in cigars and pipes, choosing them over traditional cigarettes.
Experts say they have seen a five-fold increase in non-cigarette tobacco being consumed over the last decade and say young adults need to be aware they carry the same dangers as traditional smoking.
Data collated by the University College London, and funded by Cancer Research UK, states that 772,800 people were exclusively smoking using cigars or pipes in England in September 2023, which is a significant increase from 151,200 in September 2013.
The use is highest in those aged 18 to 24, with three percent of 18-year-olds exclusively smoking cigars or pipes in 2023, compared with just one percent of 65-year-olds.
Experts say they saw a “concerning” increase in the proportion of people who said they do not smoke cigarettes but instead smoke tobacco using a pipe, cigar or shisha and believe it is linked to vaping, as people are “experimenting with other nicotine products”.
Overall, around one in ten smokers in 2022-23 exclusively used non-cigarette tobacco.
Dr Sarah Jackson, lead author of the paper and principal research fellow at UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health, said: “This ten-year-long study captures the shift in trends of non-cigarette tobacco use and paints a concerning picture. Although rates of cigarette smoking have fallen, our data show there has been a sharp rise in the use of other smoked tobacco products, particularly among young people.”
Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of policy, information and communications, added: “Tobacco kills one person every five minutes in the UK. Research like this shows that the issue of smoking isn’t just about cigarettes — all tobacco products are harmful and cause cancer, no matter what form they come in.
“That’s why it’s crucial that the government’s age of sale legislation applies to all tobacco products. If implemented, this policy will be a vital step towards creating a smokefree UK, preventing future generations from ever becoming addicted to tobacco.”
